Nostra Signora di Fatima ad Ottavia
Nostra Signora di Fatima ad Ottavia is a later 20th century parish church at Via del Fontanile Nuovo 88, in practice in the suburb of Ottavia but administratively in the zone of Tomba di Nerone. It is just north-east of the Ottavia train station, in a pleasant area with trees. The dedication is to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title of Our Lady of Fatima. History The parish was set up in 1975. The church was designed by Aldo Aloysi, and completed in 1983. The locality might be found referred to as Fontanile Nuovo, ''after its main street. Exterior Layout and fabric This is a small, square, flat-roofed building, of no architectural pretensions or interest. This architect likes square churches. The fabric has a reinforced concrete frame, with walls in pink brick. The framework is visible on the exterior. Each wall has three concrete piers embedded in it, melding with a roofline beam. At each junction of pier and beam is a projection which is actually the protruding end of a roof beam. The flat roof has substantially overhanging eaves, and the edges are protected by an ugly wire mesh safety fence in lieu of a parapet. A parish centre abuts the left hand side wall. The side walls each have a horizontal rectangular window occupying the full width of each of the two central zones. The far wall, behind the sanctuary, has two vertical strip windows in each of these zones instead. Façade For some reason it was decided to refrain from giving the church a civic presence, and it does not face the street but its car park. The major axis is parallel to the street, and the edifice is rather concealed by planted trees and shrubs. The entrance frontage has a porch which does not occupy the full width. It consists of a concrete slab canopy with a fairly deep fascia, in white and bearing a dedicatory epigraph: ''Deo Optimo Maximo, in honorem beatae Mariae virginis a Fatima Anno Domini MCMLXXXII. The slab is supported by three square red (not pink) brick piers. It has an extension to the left, forming a short covered walkway to the parish centre. Above the porch, the central two zones of the actual church frontage each has a thin horizontal strip window. Interior The interior is in white, but the exposed wall piers and roof beams are in a pale ochre yellow. The roof is divided by its beams into seven deep coffers, each of which contains a square recess with a step frame. The floor is in a dull red, with wide white stripes. The altar is in the form of a cross-shaped grey stone pedestal, with protruding feet and brackets on which the mensa rests. Behind the altar is the tabernacle, which is a bronze cube mounted on two longitudinally parallel stone slab piers with protruding brackets on the top bearing a short support beam. The cube is inserted into a cross-circle device formed of bronze rods, and has a chased relief of loaves and fishes on its door which is silvered. The four vertical strip windows behind the altar have stained glass, which include figures of saints. In between them is a small crucifix painted on a flat board to the left, and the motto ''Deo caritas est ''to the right. To the right of these is the shrine of Our Lady, with a large circular relief plaque on the wall, white on bronze and showing Our Lady of Fatima in front of a sunburst (the reference is to the famous "Miracle of the Sun" which occurred at Fatima during the original apparitions). Access The church is open, according to the parish website (July 2018): 7:30 to 12:00, 16:00 to 19:30. Liturgy Mass is celebrated (parish website, July 2018): Weekdays 18:30; Sundays and Solemnities 9:00, 11:00, 18:30. Rosary is recited at 18:00 every day, before Mass. There is Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Thursdays until 21:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays at 18:00. The convent chapel of Santa Maria Bambina is not mentioned as a public place of worship on the parish website, although the Diocese lists a Mass here at 7:30 on weekdays. External links Official diocesan web-page Parish website Info.roma web-page Beweb web-page Category:Catholic churches Category:Dedications to the Blessed Virgin Mary Category:Outside the walls - North-West Category:Parish churches Category:20th century